Chicago Tribune, June 12, 2006: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> (What's So Funny 'Bout) <br> Rock, Soul and Genre-Hopping </h3></center> | <center><h3> (What's So Funny 'Bout) <br> Rock, Soul and Genre-Hopping </h3></center> | ||
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The frequent knock on Elvis Costello is that he's a dilettante, meaning that he dabbles in so many styles that you can't pin the guy down. | The frequent knock on Elvis Costello is that he's a dilettante, meaning that he dabbles in so many styles that you can't pin the guy down. | ||
Just in the past couple of years he has released an orchestral work ( | Just in the past couple of years he has released an orchestral work (''Il Sogno''), a Southern-flavored rock album (''The Delivery Man''), a live big-band jazz album (''My Flame Turns Blue'') and, out last week, a collaboration with New Orleans songwriter/pianist/producer Allen Toussaint (''The River in Reverse''). | ||
He also toured with country singer Emmylou Harris last year, and he's been working on an opera based on the life of Hans Christian Andersen. | He also toured with country singer Emmylou Harris last year, and he's been working on an opera based on the life of Hans Christian Andersen. | ||
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Costello did open with "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and included fan favorites "Pump It Up," "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives," but he and Toussaint also played the entire new album (a combination of material they wrote after Hurricane Katrina devastated Toussaint's hometown and older, relatively obscure Toussaint compositions that feel freshly relevant) plus deep catalog cuts from both songwriters. | Costello did open with "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and included fan favorites "Pump It Up," "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives," but he and Toussaint also played the entire new album (a combination of material they wrote after Hurricane Katrina devastated Toussaint's hometown and older, relatively obscure Toussaint compositions that feel freshly relevant) plus deep catalog cuts from both songwriters. | ||
I don't remember ever seeing Costello play "Tears Before Bedtime," even on the | I don't remember ever seeing Costello play "Tears Before Bedtime," even on the ''Imperial Bedroom'' tour (I tried Google-ing for a set list from his 1982 Alpine Valley show, but even the Internet has its limits), and it's worth noting that Costello preferred to revisit two songs from ''The Delivery Man'' and another from 2002's ''When I Was Cruel'' ("Dust") rather than to trot out "Veronica" or "Every Day I Write the Book." | ||
Plus, almost all of the Costello songs had been rearranged with new charts written by Toussaint. Dissonant horns and a trombone solo gave "Watching the Detectives" a crazed '50s jazz feel, "Poisoned Rose" built to a climax that eclipsed the | Plus, almost all of the Costello songs had been rearranged with new charts written by Toussaint. Dissonant horns and a trombone solo gave "Watching the Detectives" a crazed '50s jazz feel, "Poisoned Rose" built to a climax that eclipsed the ''King of America'' version, and "Clown Strike" swung like it only dreamed of doing in its ''Brutal Youth'' incarnation. | ||
Costello's tinkering with his older songs is, in a way, reminiscent of Bob Dylan, whose restlessness has led to an even longer career of relevancy (albeit with some significant stretches of "Huh?"). But Costello's reinterpretations have never sounded as haphazard as Dylan's often have – that's for better or worse; Costello gives the impression that he could give a dissertation on the thinking behind his every little move. | Costello's tinkering with his older songs is, in a way, reminiscent of Bob Dylan, whose restlessness has led to an even longer career of relevancy (albeit with some significant stretches of "Huh?"). But Costello's reinterpretations have never sounded as haphazard as Dylan's often have – that's for better or worse; Costello gives the impression that he could give a dissertation on the thinking behind his every little move. |
Revision as of 01:31, 21 September 2013
"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding"
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